Lady Eve Millinery

2/25/13

Hats and millinery is one of my passions so I'm very excited to share an interview from one of my sponsors- milliner Aimee Koch from Lady Eve Millinery on etsy. Millinery is an exquisite art form and Aimee was kind enough to share some photos of her process as she uses vintage techniques in every hat creation.

Va-Voom Vintage readers get 15% off at Lady Eve Millinery till the end of March with code VAVOOM15

Babette Claudette Zelda

What got
you interested in millinery?

I have always had a love of old things and history as well as
a passion for creating things with my hands.
I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my mother who taught me how to hand
sew, knit and crochet starting at the age of 5.
I did theater through school, college and continued on into community theater
after that. This gave me a wonderful
exposure to different costume collections. While at college, I earned a degree in
History. I began picking up vintage pieces,
including hats, and when they became more difficult to acquire, I started
collecting vintage sewing patterns. My
own vintage pieces becoming more often study pieces. I have had the remarkable good fortune to connect
with clothing collectors and spend time examining their collections….one collection
now belongs to a museum. I also
undertook a study of vintage sewing and pattern drafting. At the same time, I've always been a great
lover of hats and began first with sewing soft pieces from patterns. As the availability of vintage hats in
wearable condition dwindled, I began exploring millinery shops in hopes of
finding vintage inspired pieces. Doing
that, I discovered that for truly vintage minded pieces, there didn't seem to
be many options. At that point I rolled
up my sleeves and determined to learn the craft for myself! I began a study of millinery techniques and
piece by piece acquired a collection of vintage millinery blocks. It's similar to sewing a new vintage dress
from an old pattern…except I get to breathe new life into a vintage hat block. The result is a *new* vintage hat.

I often dream about
the fabulous vintage hats in films and old magazines. What is your favorite hat
from film or old celebrity photos?

Sometimes
I will watch movies solely for the hat inspirations! Ask my husband.
My earliest childhood days were pre-VCR/DVD…which
meant watching old movies as they replayed on Sunday afternoons. My greatest hat loves are Ilsa's brimmed
piece in the final scene of Casablanca (when she tearfully gazes up at Bogie);
that green bonnet from Paris that Rhett brings to Scarlett to win a kiss; and
Lauren Becall's beret in to Have or Have Not…which she tosses on the desk of the
Vichy officer to read the label…..oh and that sweet little tilt hat in Girl
Friday. I keep a running pinboard of my hat inspirations to draw from. You will see in my shop the "Ilsa"
inspired by Casablanca and the "Olivia" 1940s style tilt hat series
as well.

Ilsa and Olivia

My grandma said that she used to love to go to
Macy's hat department as a girl and try on all sorts of hats. We're all
saddened that hats aren't as popular today as they once were. Do you have any
tips for the modern woman who wants to incorporate a vintage style hat into her
wardrobe?

Do not be intimidated by hats! Isn't it funny that something that used to be
considered a wardrobe essential now seems so intimidating to many? If hats are something you love, then express
that and jump in. You will be surprised at
how many lovely compliments you will receive.
There is something so polished and ladylike about wearing a hat….don't
be surprised if men start holding doors for you. I hear so often that women don't feel
confident enough to step out in a hat…but wait until you try it! You will find your confidence boosted by
admiring looks and comments. It makes
wearing hats addictive I tell you!

What's so lovely about hats is the range of options available.
I'm including some charts on face shapes and hat silhouette pairs your readers
might find helpful….evaluate what would be most flattering to you in terms of
shape, but don't be limited by it.
Consider your personal style. If
you are a 50s loving gal, pass on the cloche and go with something like
"Claire". If you adore that
30s vibe, consider a brimmed piece like "Delysia". Once you have your hat, play with the
placement on your head. Simply tilting a
hat to one side or another, can enhance your look…think of an eye half hidden
by a jaunty angle as you gaze up at your own Bogie.

Delysia

If this is your first hat purchase, consider a neutral color
and/or a simple trim before jumping into feathers and veils you might not feel
bold enough yet to wear. Consider the
quality of the hat. There is a large
difference between a soft, lustrous fur felt velour and a mass produced wool
felt. A hat is an investment piece and
when properly treated, can give you years of wearing pleasure. It can be a signature piece of your wardrobe.

Of
the hats in my shop, I find
"Delysia" to be a universally flattering daytime choice. There are so
many possibilities for personal
style with the tilt of that brim! The original 1930s block is in itself a
work
of art (there is a pic of the block with the listing). For evening,
theater,
dinner dates, and social events, I adore the "Olivia". It can be
trimmed simply or with some extravagance. It is a *slightly* undersized
1940s tilt hat
in the style of Girl Friday.See Aimee on Pinterest Etsy

15 comments

So, these hats are amazing, I adore the Babette and Ilsa ones in particular! I have a huge love and fascination when it comes to hats but am only just getting the confidence to actually wear them out, which is a shame because so many people look great in them. These are definitely going to inspire me to wear more, thanks! xx

What strikingly wonderful, timelessly beautiful hats. I adore vintage and repro toppers so very, very much, wearing them myself more days than not. It's a joy to read more about the millinery arts from an actual hat maker. Thanks for the terrific interview, Brittany and Aimee.

Oooh!! Brooches are my main weakness!! I think one of the best ways to tell is by the clasp. There's a really good post here about dating clasps:http://nikkihallford.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/dating-vintage-brooches/and here:http://collectingvintagejewelry.blogspot.com/2009/02/collecting-vintage-jewelry-part-7-pin.html

Studying different eras of jewelry- the styles, popular themes, shapes, settings and materials will also help in dating them. If you have any that you can't figure out, email pics to me and I'll try to help too!! :)

I'm currently high up in vintage Heaven. I sing in a choir where I am definitely the youngest, and that's putting it mildly. I came to talk with one of those sweet, little old ladies about the 1950s, and clothing of the era and.... Out of the blue, she told me that she still has the white dress her mother made for her when she graduated school at 18, and that it's just hanging in her wardrobe. So she said that if I felt it fit me, it was mine. She would bring it to the next choir practice so I could try it. Home-made, white dress from 1956.... God, I'm going to be heartbroken if it turns out to be too small...